Bad

Michael Jackson's seventh studio album arrived on August 31, 1987, nearly five years after Thriller. Recorded at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles over two and a half years, the album marked the third and final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones. Jackson wrote nine of the eleven tracks, co-produced the album, and adopted an edgier sound and look. The album blends dance-pop, R&B, funk, and hard rock, driven by digital synthesizers and drum machines. Guest vocalist Siedah Garrett appears on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and co-wrote "Man in the Mirror"; Stevie Wonder also contributed.

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 2.25 million copies in its first week in the US. It spent six weeks atop the chart and reached number one in 25 countries. Five singles hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana". This set a record for the most number-one singles from one album, unmatched until Katy Perry's Teenage Dream in 2011. The album sold over 35 million copies worldwide and was certified 11x Platinum by the RIAA.

Critics praised the album's production and songwriting, though some noted it didn't match Thriller's sales. It earned Jackson a Grammy for Best Engineered Recording and Best Music Video for "Leave Me Alone". The supporting Bad tour grossed $125 million, one of the highest-grossing tours of the 1980s. A 25th-anniversary reissue, Bad 25, was released in 2012. [edit]